A 3D video game that creates a virtual world on-the-fly could change how blockbuster shoot-'em-up titles are built.

Most video games today build a gaming environment for players by accessing a library of graphical objects and textures. Instead, A New Zero draws all its scenes and objects itself in real time, as well as simulating real-world physics. This means players are not limited by game design and can, as developer Alex Austin puts it, "jump through any window they want".

Austin says that the game started off as a less ambitious side project: a flight simulator. "I figured that since I didn't have an artist, I may as well try to do everything with code," he says.

Well, the principle has been around a long time, as automatic level generators even existed for Doom back in the day. You combine this with the Cube/Sauerbraten dynamic level editing and you basically have what is being discussed here. Add in procedural content distribution as mentioned in the article and you have it. The main thing holding any such thing back was processor and GPU power.

My question regarding this though is what happens to old areas once you have left them? I can see someone wandering on for an indefinite period of time, leaving a path of created worlds, which would in the end bog down even the fastest machines. So what does it do? If you reach a certain limit will it delete a certain part of the world to free up resources?